Chapter 4: the Flower Girl

"Hey... you all right?" a voice asked. For some reason, it seemed quite familiar, though Nigel never heard it before

"... Yeah..."

"Back then... you could've just gotten by with skinned knees..."

"What do you mean by back then? Who are you"?

"Don't worry about me... you just worry about yourself..."

"OMIGOD! ARE YOU OK?!" a voice cried

Nigel groaned and opened his eyes. A girl stood over him, a worried expression on her face. He recognized her as the flower girl he met on the street

"Um... yeah..."

"Thank goodness! The flowers must've broken your fall!"

He looked up and saw the big hole he must've fallen through. He realized that the place he was must've been right under the plate the reactor was on. He sat up and looked around. He was in a small church filled with flowers growing.

"... Sorry about crashing through your roof and landing on the flowers..."

She smiled "that's all right! The flowers here are quite resilient here because this is a sacred place. They say you can't grow plants in Midgar, but for some reason, they grow quite well here.

I love it here"

In the light, he could fully see what she looked like. She was a very pretty girl with long, slightly ruffled, strawberry blond hair half pulled back with a large pink ribbon, and had large, wise and kind green eyes. She was wearing a long pink dress and a red vest "So, do you remember me?"

"Yeah, you were selling flowers in the street"

"That's right! Oh, and thanks for buying my flowers... now that you mention it, we don't know each other's names, do we. I'm Claire"

"The names Nigel'

"Do you have a job Nigel?

"I do a little bit of everything..."

"A jack of all trades, huh." she looked over at the door and saw someone, and a worried expression crossed her face "Um, Nigel, have you been a body guard? You do everything right?"

"Right"

"Then, do you think you can escort me home? Now?"

"Well, ok... but it'll cost you..."

"Oh really... hm. I know! How about a date?"

"...Um...ok..."

"Great!"

"Hey, you just ignoring that were here?" a voice demanded

Nigel looked up to see a boy standing at the doorway. He had slightly tousled brown hair with a pair of goggles strapped under his bangs, and icy blue eyes. He had tan skin and an orthodontic brace, and was wearing a familiar blue uniform, that was open vested, tieless, and rumpled. There were several soldiers behind him

"That uniform... you're ones of the Turks, aren't you" Nigel asked

"That's right. The names Lenny. So anyways, We're taking the girl"

"What?!"

"You heard me, now hand her over!"

"No way!" Nigel growled, taking out his sword

"Don't fight here! you'll ruin the flowers!" Claire cried

"Good point..." Nigel resheathed his sword and grabbed her hand and pulled her to the back exit "Lets get out of here!"

Lenny frowned "his eyes...they were mako eyes..." he turned to the soldiers "all right, what are you standing around for? Go after them! ...oh, and.. don't step on the flowers..."

"But sir, YOURE already standing on them!"

he looked down at the flowers under his feet "...so?"

meanwhile, Nigel and Claire climbed up to the rafters and escaped through a hole in the roof

Claire sighed and sat down "They're after me again..."

"You mean this isn't the first time they were after you?"

"No..." she shook her head

"That kid was parts of the TURKS, an organization in Wigglestein. They take care of business like information, spying, kidnapping, and assassinations... you know, the works"

"Yes... they seem like it..."

"but why would they be after you?"

"I honestly don't know..."

"Well then, lets go" he stood up

"Hey, Nigel, were you ever in SOLDIER?"

"I used to be... how did you guess?"

"Your eyes... they have a strange glow to them..."

"That's the sign of someone who's been infused with Mako... the mark of a SOLDIER. but how did you know about that?"

"Oh... nothing..." she stood up "Come on, lets go!"

they ran across the roof and finally got down to the streets "Whew, we made it! come on! my house is over there!"

he followed her to a wall. she smiled and opened the gate "This is my house!"

His mouth opened in awe as he looked around. the house itself was a quaint little cottage, and there was a large garden, completed with a little waterfall.

"wow..."

she went inside "Mom, I'm home!"

a kind looking woman in a green apron and brown hair in a red came out of the kitchen "Oh Claire! you're home!"

"This Nigel, my bodyguard""

"Body guard? you mean you were followed again? were you hurt?"

:I was fine mom! I had Nigel with me"

"well, that's a relief... Thank you Nigel. My name is Elmyra."

"So Nigel what are going to do now?" Claire asked

"Is Sector Seven far from here? I need to get back to Rachel's bar"

"Is Rachel... a girl?"

"yeah"

"A girl... Friend?"

"Huh? do you mean"

"Its perfectly all right if you are..."

"N-no! were just friends!"

"Well that's nice. Sector 7 is just a few neighborhoods away! I'll take you there!"

"Thanks, but you probably shouldn't. you might put yourself in danger"

"That's all right. I'm used to it!"

"Used to it?! Well anyways, I dunno... getting help from a girl..."

"A girl?! what do you mean by that?!"

"I didn't mean it in a sexist way..."

"Well I'm not sitting by after hearing you say something like that!" she stood up "Mom, I'm taking Nigel to sector 7! Ill is back in a while!"

"but dear..." elmyra sighed "... I give up... you never listened once you've made up your mind... But it's getting late. you should go tomorrow morning!"

"Yeah.. you're right... I'll go prepare your room Nigel!" she ran upstairs

Elmyra turned to Nigel "I'm worried about her... I don't want her to get hurt. Nigel, if you wouldn't mind... do you think you can leave tonight, without telling Claire?"

Nigel nodded "I understand..."

"Come on Nigel!" Claire cried from upstairs

Claire showed him a room "You'll need to go through sector six to get to sector seven. It's a little dangerous, so you'll want to get some rest. good night!" she left

Nigel groaned "Oh man..." he flopped on his bed and closed his eyes

he heard that mysterious voice again

"You seem pretty tired..."

"Huh? oh, its you again..."

"I haven't slept in a bed like this for a long time. ever since that day..."

Nigel opened his eyes "I must've fallen asleep" he looked at the clock "9:30... Claire should be asleep by now..." he left his room and walked across the hallway. he almost reached the stairs when he stepped on a creaky floorboard

"Nigel?" Claire poked her head out of her room "What are you doing up? get some sleep!"

he sighed "All right Claire..." he headed back to his room and waited for a few minutes " Try to not get caught this time..." he said reminded himself quietly as he snuck out again. he managed to get out of the house this time.

he was almost at sector six when

"You're up early" a voice said coldly. he whirled around to see Claire standing against a wall, glaring at him

"C-Claire! w-what are you doing here?"

"somehow I knew you'd try to sneak out..."

"Look, I can explain"

"No need, I know you were trying to keep me out of this"

"I'm only doing it for your safety."

"I told you, I'll be fine! now come on, lets go."

they proceeded through sector 6 without any problems, except for the occasional mugger or two.

finally they reached the playground in sector seven

"So, I guess this is goodbye... you gonna be all right heading home?"

""Yes... but I don't feel like going home right now."

"hmm..." Nigel thought "Hey Claire, why don't you come with me, and meet Rachel?"

"Won't I be in your way?"

"What do you mean, in the way?"

"Nothing... " she smiled at the playground "I remember I used to play here all the time when I was little..." she said as she climbed to the top of the slide and sat down. she motioned for Nigel to sit next to her

they sat in silence for a while, than Claire spoke "so, what rank were you?"

"Rank?"

"you know, in soldier"

"Oh... I was..." suddenly a thought came to him capriciously "...first class..."

"hm... just the same as him..." she said quietly

"Same as who?"

"My first boyfriend"

"Were you guys serious?"

"Not really, but I liked him"

"I probably knew him. what was his name?"

"It doesn't really matter..."

suddenly a decorated cart drove by. Nigel noticed Rachel on it. she was wearing makeup, and a sparkly blue dress.

"Huh? Rachel?!"

"That girl was Rachel? where was she going?"

"looks like they're heading for Wallmarket Street. come on lets follow them"